| Jumps and tricks cause high musculoskeletal stress |
| Wednesday, 07 September 2011 14:09 |
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Researchers of the University of Wales Institute, in Cardiff, UK, have published an article on the International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport about the perceived musculoskeletal stress, pain and discomfort in kitesurfing. Lundgren, Brorsson, Hilliges, and Osvalder, the authors of the study, wanted to obtain an overview of the specific movement patterns in kitesurfing, and the participants' feelings of their own body. Task analysis and survey studies were used to provide an overview of the sport and to identify problematic issues associated with the performance of the tasks. Three different methods were complimentary used for data collection: observations (n=8), a web questionnaire (n=206) and interviews (n=17). Participants were contacted through kitesurfing events and online forums. Their ages ranged from 16-62 years. The results showed that participants experienced high musculoskeletal stress for short times during a session (jumps, tricks and strong winds), and lower, static musculoskeletal stress over a longer time (crossing). High stress was most frequently perceived in abdominal muscles. Knees and feet were the sites most frequently experienced as painful, followed by the shoulders and elbows. This study provides additional information on the performance of kitesurfing and perceived musculoskeletal stress, pain and discomfort. The results can be used as input data to develop training methods and equipment for safe and comfortable performance. Find more, here.
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